I would look at the Giant TCX SL1 which I just bought. It isn't a full carbon frame but has carbon forks and the difference in weight is only slight to its carbon cousins and very strong. Comes with hydraulic brakes, 35 mm cyclocross tyres, 12 mm through axels and SRAM rival gearing. If you don't like the feel of the SRAM compared to shimano then this bike may not be for you but I personally love the feel. It also has a 1 x 11 drivetrain and for me this works perfectly for the riding I do.

I chose this bike because I mainly commute to/from work and wanted something fast, good at climbing and light. Conditions are mainly road/tracks in reasonable condition. But there can occasionally be some hazards that a road bike would struggle. I also do weekend rides in teams and plan to do touring and some off road with it as well. This bike does it all well. The off road obviously won't be downhill but works great on gravel/dirt tracks, grass, mud and even sand.

What I love about this bike is the versatility. You can put on slick tyres and you have a light road bike and can do your weekend rides and/or committing. Or you can leave on the cyclocross tyres and take it off road or race it. My plan is to take it on adventure touring as well that a road bike isnt necessarily geared up to do to install panniers or other bags.

I did a lot of research before buying and for my type of riding I desired more than just a road bike.

Jlake001 wrote:I did a lot of research before buying and for my type of riding I desired more than just a road bike.

You chose well. The gearing of road bikes is a poor choice for most people. I reckon SRAM have hit the sweet spot with their 1x11 groups. The longer wheelbase means that the bike will be more stable, and less prone to heel strike with panniers.

I recently was about to purchase a Giant TCX SLR 2 2017. I placed the order but they didn't have my size, so the shop offered me a TCX Advanced Pro 2 2016 for a few hundred more. I took the offer and it's been great. I got them to put a 32T cassette on it and I'm looking to change the 46/36 chainring to possibly a 46/32 or even a 30 as when you hit steep gravel roads you soon realise you need more gears! I swapped the tyres for Clement Xplor MSO 40c, and will upgrade the wheels to something lighter like the DT Swiss R23 eventually. It's been great so far, very glad I finally picked one up. Once the hydraulic brakes bed in they are awesome, plenty of bite.Took it to Lysterfield recently and had a crack at the MTB trails, and also rode up Mt Everard at the back of Kinglake. It's good to have the option of riding off road one weekend then back on the roadie the other. I got it primarily for singletrack and gravel rides.

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